New Metro Transit route to connect north, northeast Minneapolis and St. Paul's Midway area

North Minneapolis bus riders will have a direct route to northeast Minneapolis and St. Paul's Midway neighborhood starting Monday when new Route 30 debuts.

The route will run on weekdays only along Golden Valley Road and West Broadway on the west side of the Mississippi River, and on Broadway Street east of the river. Buses will loop around the Quarry Shopping Center, then continue on Broadway Street through the northeast Minneapolis Industrial Area to Hwy. 280.

In St. Paul, buses will follow Como Avenue and Hwy. 280 to University Avenue where the route ends next to the Raymond Avenue Station, which is one of the stops on the Metro Green Line. The light-rail service will begin on June 14.

Created with funding through a federal grant to connect people to jobs outside the urban core, the new Route 30 will now allow riders to get across town without having to go downtown first, then transfer to the Route 61 Hennepin-Larpenteur route.

"There aren't a lot of jobs right in north Minneapolis," said Matt Halley, executive director of the Cookie Cart, a nonprofit bakery on West Broadway that provides work experience and training in life and leadership skills for teens ages 15 to 18. "I can think of four [former employees] who have left Cookie Cart to get jobs in the Midway area, so a bus that goes over there will be very convenient for them."

Blong Yang, a Minneapolis City Council member who represents the neighborhood, told Metro Transit that he hopes the bus will help reduce traffic on the busy corridor.

Metro Transit officials estimate that daily ridership is projected at 700 a day. Buses on the 9-mile line will run from 5 a.m. to midnight, with service every 30 minutes during the rush hour and midday and every 30 to 60 minutes during evenings.

Senior planner said he expects Route 30 to become a popular route because of the number of attractions, employers and destinations it serves. It also will connect with several other bus routes and the new light-rail line that will run between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.

“It’s easy to start picturing all sorts of new connections,” Dillery said. “There’s a whole mix of possibilities here."

PHOTO: Courtesy of Metro Transit

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